Acrocon spruce: description and features of care, application in landscape design

Acrocon spruce is called a luxurious tree that has a peculiar appearance. This culture is characterized by slow growth. Sometimes it is called European. This plant was first seen near the Swedish city of Uppsala in 1890. Today it has become widespread all over the world. Acrocona is characterized by slow growth, because it can decorate the site for 50 years. To make the culture look attractive, it needs to be properly looked after.

What kind is this

According to the description, this coniferous tree has a wide distribution area - from the Urals to the west of Europe.At a young age, this culture will be small in size and will not clutter up the site. As it develops, the plant reaches 3-5 meters in length and 2-4 meters in diameter. This tree pleases its owners for 30-50 years. During the year, it grows up to a maximum of 10 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide.

Acrokona is characterized by a symmetrical structure. In appearance, spruce needles cannot be confused with other plants. At the ends of its branches there are red cones that appear even in the youngest crops. Male cones are reddish-yellow in spring, while females are bright purple. By autumn, they turn brown.

With the onset of spring, Acrocona is abundantly covered with cones and bright green young shoots. In the summer, the branches become much longer, and the cones become brown in color and elongated. At this stage, the plant takes on a gray-green color.

Spruce needles stay green all year long. Therefore, even in winter, the summer cottage looks attractive. The needles of this species of spruce are characterized by a dark green color. It has a thin structure and is 1-2 centimeters in size.

Spruce has a straight trunk and thin bark. At first, it has a brown color, and then becomes red-brown and covered with cracks. In order for the tree to please with its decorative properties, shaping is required at the end of May and the beginning of June. For this, pruning of young shoots is carried out. When forming several tops, it is better to leave one. In this case, it is recommended to choose the most beautiful one.

Fit features

Acrocon spruce is recommended to be planted in early spring. This should be done after the snow melts. If necessary, planting work can be carried out in the fall. At the same time, it is important to be in time before the first frosts.

A sunny area is perfect for this plant, but a slight penumbra is also acceptable. In spring, young trees can suffer from sunburn. Therefore, during the first two years, spruce needs to be shaded.

To plant a plant, you need to make a deep enough hole - at least 50-60 centimeters. In this case, the root neck is recommended to be placed at ground level.

It is recommended to place drainage from sand and broken bricks at the bottom of the recess. You will also need to make a composition of ordinary earth, peat and sand. It also needs to be placed in the recess.

How to care for spruce

When growing a regular plant or spruce on a bole, the culture needs to be properly cared for. It must include the following:

1. Water. Within a week after planting, a young tree is recommended to be abundantly moistened. Subsequently, the procedure is carried out 1-2 times a week. It is important to consider that the culture does not withstand stagnant moisture or dry soil. In the heat, it is worth sprinkling the crown.
2. Fertilization. After planting, spruce needs to use top dressing. This requires the use of 100-150 grams of nitroammophoska. Then you need to use special fertilizers for the plant twice during the season.
3. Mulching and loosening the soil. Acrocon spruce perfectly perceives regular loosening of the soil. If necessary, slightly loosen the soil to a depth of 5-6 centimeters to avoid damage to the roots. Under young plants during the procedure, a small amount of peat should be applied. Young spruces should be insulated with spruce branches for the winter.
4. Cropping. This procedure should be carried out in early summer. The rules for pruning depend on what kind of crown you want to get. At the same time, the procedure should be performed at the beginning of summer - it is during this period that the active growth of branches stops.
5. Preparing for winter. This variety of spruce does not need special shelters for the winter and easily withstands even frosts of -35 degrees. Warming is required only for young trees.

Methods of reproduction

Spruce can be propagated in the following ways:

• generative - in this case, seeds are used;
• vegetative - plant cuttings are used for this.

The most convenient and fastest way is vegetative. To do this, use stiff shoots at least 1-2 years old. It is advisable to take such cuttings from the top of the tree. In this case, it is worth using only high-quality branches without signs of damage.

When selecting the material, it is necessary to ensure that a dormant apical bud is present on it. This is of great importance for the future culture. Since the coniferous family has a monopodial type of branching, without an apical bud, the tree will not be able to grow in height.

It is worth preparing cuttings in early spring - until the buds open.The ideal shoot size is 6-10 centimeters. The cut material must be planted in prepared soil. To increase the likelihood of survival, it is recommended to soak the heel of the cutting in a growth stimulator. For this purpose, you can use Kornevin or Epin.

Then the plant needs to provide suitable humidity parameters. They should be around 85%. When planting cuttings, they need to be sprayed and tightly covered with a film. It is also important to maintain the optimum temperature at the level of + 20-25 degrees. In this case, it is recommended to make a hole in the film for ventilation.

Diseases and pests

Acrocon spruce has a fairly strong immunity. Therefore, it is considered very resistant to diseases and pests. A valuable property of spruce is its ability to exude phytoncides. They are natural antibiotics with antimicrobial properties.

However, sometimes Acrocon spruce still suffers from fungal pathologies. The most common diseases include the following:

1. Schütte - is a pathology in which the needles become brown and crumble.
2. Grey mold - affects small trees and dwarf spruce. With this disease, the needles turn yellow and become covered with dark stripes.

Also, plants suffer from fusarium, various types of rot, bark necrosis. The risk of fungal infections increases with dense plantings and in conditions of high humidity. Such diseases are treated with fungicides. For this, it is worth using "Skor", "Ridomil", "Fundazol". The affected fragments must be removed, and the sections of the sections must be treated with a solution of copper sulfate.

From pests, the plant suffers from spider mites and spruce aphids. To cope with ticks, you can use "Fitoverm", "Neoron". Treating the tree with soapy water helps get rid of aphids.

Application

This plant is actively used in landscape design. It can be used to create a hedge that will help protect the site from gusts of wind and prying eyes. Sometimes a spruce is placed in the center of a flower bed. The tree looks very beautiful in winter too - against the background of white snow.

Culture is actively used to decorate Japanese and Chinese gardens. It perfectly complements rock gardens and rockeries. Also, the plant often decorates gravel gardens.

Acrocon spruce is a popular ornamental plant that can decorate every suburban area. In order for a tree to grow and develop normally, it is important to provide it with proper care. Of great importance is the protection of crops from diseases and pests.

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